Protection by a Kiss
by AliasStars
Summary: You promised that your kiss would protect me. Where was it when I suffered through the bullying? Where is it as I stand here, ready to jump off the side of this building?


_"Will you kiss me? And promise, just promise, that that kiss will protect me?"  
>"Sure, Rin." His lips pressed to hers sweetly, quickly, and she smiled slowly. "That kiss will protect you forever."<br>_

Liar.  
><em>LIAR!<em>

"You promised," Rin whispered spitefully to the starry sky, the stars watching her without any care. "You PROMISED!"

_"Rin, Rin," She sighed. "Rin." She whispered her name thoughtfully. "My name is Rin, yet no one calls me that. They only call me vile, hurtful, names, and never yet has anyone said my actual name, _Rin..."

_Shadows, lurking in the dark. As she slips out of school with a hidden panic, they overtake her. She feels the cool metal of the knife and wants to scream, yet wants to welcome the escape...Death.  
><em>

_"Let me go, please-"  
><em>

_"Shut up, little slut." The soft voice hurts her ears, makes them bleed. "You'll stay silent when I do this unless you want to die in the most painful way possible."  
><em>

_"Okay..." she whispers to the tormentor, the group of bullies, who, in front of his sapphire eyes, do these things to her, to Rin.  
>It's only a few minutes into the horrible torture when Rin starts begging for them to kill her.<br>_

"Where was your kiss then, Len? Huh?"  
>Rin watched as her rock sailed, cut through the sky, fell below to the sparkling little cars below on the road.<br>"I want to fly, too~" She sang, leaning out over the edge.

_"Are we done with her? My mom is gonna kill me!"  
><em>

_Rin gasps as he pulls her head out of the ice cold water, only to shove it back in. Submerged, she thrashes as she tries to fill her lungs with something, anything.  
><em>

_"We can't kill her," she hears the warbled voices. The fist on her collar loosened and Rin didn't dare lift her head until she knew they were gone. Hair dripping with water, she lifted her bright blue eyes to see the dark school.  
><em>

_"Rin! Where are you? Mom is mad!" Len's voice echoed through the darkness, and wildly, Rin shook her head, spraying water everywhere._

Rin touched her fingers to her lips lightly, softly, and smiled without happiness.

_"What are you doing? Is this what you call walking home?" His voice, cold, icy. "Get up." She trembled as she stood up, almost collapsing back. "Is someone bothering you?" A raised eyebrow, arms folded. Eyes uncaring.  
><em>

_"Len." She stammers his three letter name. "Len," she wails, eyes bubbling with salty tears as she grabs his jacket and pulls him close.  
><em>

_"Stop, idiot- Someone may find us-" He stops abruptly as she buries her head in his jacket and sighs, pushing her away gently. "Let's go home."  
><em>

Rin rested her arms on the sills. What the hell was she waiting for? Did she want him to see her go? NO! She couldn't let him see, she had to make it seem like it was an accident. She opened her hand and let her white bow flutter away into the wind. As she watched it go, she stood up onto the sill, her legs shaky. Was she going to go through with this?

_"Die, die~ Die, bitch." Rin winced as she saw people whom she thought were her friends, but really weren't. She wanted to die so badly, but she was waiting. Waiting to see if he did care. For Len, she would live through the toughest times. But it didn't appear as though he was going to rescue her, this time. This time, he was sending a message~ She needed to brace herself and fight her way through it- Alone. To Rin, she found only one way to show that she wasn't going to stand through the bullying any longer._

"It's a simple motion, Rin. All you do is crouch, then launch yourself and fly." She remembered her gym teacher from eons ago telling her. Gathering momentum, she swung her arms to cut through the chilling night air. Her sharp eyes glanced every which way, glittering lights reflecting city windows.

_"I thought you promised it would protect me." Rin cried to her pillow. His presence in her room made her want to scream.  
><em>

_"It was childish, Rin." he snapped. "I was kidding, and you were, too. This is the real world. A simple little kiss won't save you."  
><em>

_"That's the one childish memory I still keep," Rin whispered to his back as he exited her room. "Why can't you understand that it's precious?"  
><em>

"So this is it, then?"

Len's voice startled Rin so much that she almost lost her footing and crashed into the city below. Heart pounding, she turned to Len, whose eyes were wary.

"I suppose so," she replied softly, surprised that she was able to keep her cool, assuming that she was about to drop herself from over fifty feet.

"That's not a good idea," he said, taking a few steps forward. "This isn't the right answer."

"C-Come any closer and...And I'll j-jump." Rin warned, keeping her feet at the edge.

He froze like a statue. "_Don't. Do. This."  
><em>

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Rin trembled. "Go back and let myself die in their hands? I'd rather choose my death, and I don't want them to be the cause."

"How about not dying?" Len bit out sharply. "Isn't that an option?" He was slowly inching forward, not wanting to startle her and cause her to slip. If he caused her to fall to her death, he'd never forgive himself. Ever.

"I can't protect myself," Rin's eyelids fluttered shut. "I'm too weak for that..."

"But I can." He said, stopping a few centimeters from her.

"Your promises," Rin spat. "Are way past gone. They fall on deaf ears now, Len. You promised me so long ago that you'd protect me, and look where that led me. Straight to the top of a suicidal drop."

"It doesn't have to be suicidal. Step down, Rin. _Away _from the edge. Come on." Len's fists clenched at his sides, ready to grab her if she fell. Rin hesitated, and Len stole that opportunity. He pulled her close and crashed his lips against hers. Hands at her waist, he steadied her so that she was partially safe. Rin practically melted into the kiss and he ran his tongue over her bottom lip. He gently drew circles against her waist, and dipped his fingers into the small of her back. Her heart resumed pounding in her chest and she pulled away to breathe.

"Was that one more promising?" Len asked, panting slightly.

"LEN~!"

The shout came from someone unimportant, but it made Rin jump. She let out a surprised yelp and fell back, her weight unsupported by anything but air.

"_Rin!"  
><em>

Len vaulted forwards, reaching out for her at the same time she shot her hand towards his. Sapphire on sapphire, the tension suspended itself between the two, stopping time for a good ten seconds. He didn't dare to breathe, didn't dare to do anything but throw himself halfway off the building for her...

Their hands met.

_"Ne, Len... Tell me something."  
><em>

_"Of course, Rin."  
><em>

_"You love me, right?"  
><em>

_"Yes."  
><em>

_"Would you catch me if I fell?"  
><em>

_"No."  
><em>

_"Really?"  
><em>

_"I'm just teasing you. Of course I'd catch you. Like this~!" He scooped her up, bridal-style, and she giggled as he twirled her around like a princess.  
><em>

_"Oh, and Len?"  
><em>

_"Yes, Rin?"  
><em>

_"I love you too~"  
><em>

_"Yeah, you'd better." He smiled, and her returning one rivaled the sun shining in the morning of that day. "Forever?" He raised his eyebrows.  
><em>

_"...Forever," she said softly.  
><em>  
><em><br>_


End file.
